Software Functionality Revealed in Detail
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Business intelligence (BI) and performance management applications enable real-time, interactive access, analysis, and manipulation of mission-critical corporate information. These applications provide users with valuable insights into key operating information to quickly identify business problems and opportunities. Users are able to access and leverage vast amounts of information to analyze relationships and understand trends that ultimately support business decisions. These tools prevent the potential loss of knowledge within the enterprise that results from massive information accumulation that is not readily accessible or in a usable form. It is an umbrella term that ties together other closely related data disciplines including data mining, statistical analysis, forecasting, and decision support.

The real action is in merging the influx of electronically transmitted data with existing information already being processed within the ERP system, and the ensuing challenge is to make sense of this constant flood of information arriving daily in the form of EDI or XML messages.

Maximizer CRM 12 is now TEC Certified for online evaluation of customer relationship management (CRM) solutions in the CRM Evaluation Center. The certification seal is a valuable indicator for organizations relying on the integrity of TEC research for assistance with their software selection projects. Download this report for product highlights, competitive analysis, product analysis, and in-depth analyst commentary.

SAP has been delivering on its chemicals industry strategy by expanding its capabilities for manufacturing and supply chain management, broadening its composite package applications in areas such as emissions management, pricing management, and manufacturing dashboards, and focusing on mid-market companies.

To work through all the issues necessary to improve sales performance, executives have a number of options for leveraging people and knowledge. However, an area that shows significant potential for helping sales teams meet or exceed their goals is the effective alignment of sales process and technology. Executives looking to optimize performance should consider this approach to achieve their goals.

It is not unusual to use the metaphor of war to construct theories of business competition—substituting competing vendors for the mortal enemy. But what about the enemy within? And what if it is in fact a company's strongest resource?

The A2i acquisition will in the short term bring together two complementary e-commerce products that should help retailers, manufacturers, and suppliers manage and sell their products to other companies and customers on-line.

During the TechEd event in Las Vegas, SAP launched Business Planning and Consolidation 10.0 for the SAP EPM Unwired Platform, enabling users to gain access to a more extensive set of functionalities beyond the common exploration and analysis of information. This new offering is part of a series of mobile innovations planned by SAP last year for business intelligence, enterprise performance

Navigator One is a suite of
modules for SAP Business One—a business management software application designed
specifically for small to midsize businesses (SMBs). Used by over 23,000
customers today, SAP Business One manages business functions across sales,
operations, service, and financials, in an integrated software
system. The Navigator One modules extend
the core SAP Business One functionality in a completely integrated,
same-look-and-feel option for Navigator’s customers and partners. ·
Production One is targeted at companies
looking to track detailed costs and production processes during assembly or
production. It can help production-oriented organizations mange their labor and
material costs using touch-screen and bar-code collection devices.·
Production One advanced planning and
scheduling (APS) allows simultaneous scheduling of machines, labor, and tooling.
The add-on also features dynamic inventory allocation and multilevel pegging for
schedules.·
Distribution One is designed for warehouse
management and advanced forecasting and planning. It includes functionality for
finance, sales, purchasing, customer management, stock control, and warehouse
management for wholesalers and distributors.·
Service One is aimed at companies that need
to perform field service or depot repair and track warranties and maintenance.
It can help service-oriented organizations process service calls, schedule, and
dispatch technicians.·
Project One provides project costing and
project management for more project-oriented organizations, including firms that
need to track construction-type projects.·
Retail One provides point-of-sale (POS)
capabilities for other over-the-counter (OTC) sales or
bar-code/touch-screen-enabled retail sales. It supports credit cards and debit
cards transactions, customer loyalty tracking, and store sales and inventory
tracking. Navigator also provides
additional functionality for rules-based product configuration, advanced
shipping, credit card transactions, bin management, revenue recognition, return
merchandise authorizations (RMAs), and bar-code data collection.

TEC's P.J. Jakovljevic talks about SAP SME news and developments from the global SAP SME Summit in his latest vendor note, including the SAP SME ERP portfolio, SAP Business ByDesign, SAP Business One, SAP Business All-in-One on HANA, and more.